Balda Fixfocus

Photos by Sylvain Halgand text by Sylvain Halgand. From the collection of Sylvain Halgand. Last update 2023-11-15 par Sylvain Halgand.

Manufactured or assembled in Germany from (After) 1933 to (After) 1933.
Index of rarity in France: Infrequent (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 2328

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Chronology of cameras Balda

Balda Werk introduced a new model of folding camera in 1933, a dual-format 6 x 9 and 4.5 x 6 called Fixfocus. The name of this camera can be misleading as the focus distance is indeed adjustable. This model was offered in numerous variations with different combinations of lenses and shutters. It is often found as the basis for a distributor's camera. The shape of the bellows, especially with the leg shaped like a wrench head upside down, aids in identification.

The Fixfocus underwent modifications during its existence. Knowledge of these successive modifications helps refine the dating of the various versions. The early models have recesses on the edges of the body, which disappear from 1936 onward. Other differences concern the position of the viewfinder on the body.

Production ceased with the onset of the war, but in the late 1940s, the East German entity that would later become Belca briefly reused the name before renaming its cameras Belfoca.

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The small step visible on the edges of the camera body identifies this camera as a 1933 Balda Fixfocus. However, the absence of any branding and the Boyer Topaz lens indicate that it was sold in France, likely under a different name than its original one.

The serial number of its lens reveals that this particular specimen was manufactured in 1934.

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